The head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Swiss President Didier Burkhalter (R), and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) arrive for a press conference in the Kremlin in Moscow, on May 7, 2014, after their meeting. (AFP Photo / POOL / Sergei Karpukhin) / AFP

Kiev's reaction has jeopardized the OSCE’s efforts to start an inclusive national dialogue in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed “deep
concern” at Kiev’s official reaction to proposals on
resolving the Ukrainian crisis reached by President Putin and
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter
during negotiations in Moscow on Wednesday.

"Reaction to the results of the Putin-Burkhalter meeting is a
matter of deep concern as it effectively puts into question the
prospects of the OSCE's efforts to launch an inclusive national
dialogue,” Lavrov said in a phone call with his German
counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“Lavrov stressed that President Putin's call to
representatives of southeast regions of Ukraine, supporters of
federalization, to postpone the May 11 referendum, creates
favorable possibilities to start substantive dialogue, including
the OSCE roadmap of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis
proposed by the Swiss chairmanship of the OSCE,” Russia’s
Foreign Ministry said.

The international community “in general” positively
reacted to the negotiation’s results in Moscow, Russia’s Foreign
Ministry stressed, adding that Moscow considers this a good sign
and evidence of the international community's interest in solving
the Ukrainian crisis.

“But from Kiev, there were only phoney attempts to make
snarky remarks by Arseniy Yatsenuk. From the side of Ukraine’s
Foreign Ministry, there were obscure statements that without
Ukraine no one can discuss political deadlock in this
country,” the ministry said.

“It looks like in Kiev they forgot that the situation in
Ukraine is in the focus of all responsible international
partners,” the statement said. “Obviously, Yatsenyuk and
his team should first of all talk to the Ukrainian people, not
‘from above’ but as equals, without annoying ultimatums and
illegal use of force.”

“Such a position is in direct conflict with the fundamental
principle of the Geneva Declaration, which begins with the
requirements of the termination of any use of force,” the
ministry said.

Furthermore Kiev's “unwillingness to listen to the
international community” is undermining the efforts of the
OSCE, because it is unlikely protesters in the south-east of
Ukraine will “cooperate with the regime which declared them
all terrorists and sent an army against them.”

On Wednesday, acting Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk expressed
dismay that the crisis was discussed in Moscow without
representatives from Kiev or its allies, the US and the EU. He
expressed hopes that the OSCE, which came up with its roadmap,
will accept Kiev’s plan of action that was proposed shortly after
talks between Putin and Burkhalter in Moscow.

Yatsenyuk said the plan was worked out by the country’s acting
Foreign Minister Andrey Deshchitsa. He proposed organising
“national unity roundtables” with “representatives
of all political forces from all regions and civil society”
and expressed hope “OSCE experience” will help in
organizing such gatherings.

The US State Department was quick to support the idea of
“roundtables” as a means of defusing tensions in
Ukraine, with deputy spokesperson Marie Harf telling foreign
journalists at a briefing she hopes such discussions will help
Ukrainians decide their own future, Itar-tass reports.

At the same time Kiev opted to ignore calls from President Putin
to stop the military operation in the southeast of the country.

“The counterterrorist operation will go on regardless of any
decisions by any subversive or terrorist groups in the Donetsk
region,” Andrey Parubiy told reporters in Kiev.